The Curse of 27

The Hollywood Reporter, "Winehouse made a surprise appearance, hugging Bromfield and then dancing along as Bromfield sang 'Mama Said.' While Winehouse did not sing, she clapped with the song and encouraged the crowd to sing along."

Video here:
http://video.hollywoodreporter.com/services/player/bcpid441616896001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAC3bNtw~,c0hgCOyLwy6daoR0Hna5EeV6oU1QPZy0&bctid=1074418558001

The Last Days of Amy WinehouseUjala Sehgal 3:56 PM ET 1,087 Views Comment That Amy Winehouse was a
That Amy Winehouse was a beloved musician was beyond doubt after her death was announced yesterday, despite her troubled personal life and addictions. Fans flocked to her house in London after the announcement, laying flowers, and paid tribute at one of past favorite pubs, the Telegraph reports. The New York Times echoed the sentiment of many in their obituary, writing that:

Ms. Winehouse was no manufactured pop commodity. She was a genuine musician, among the very small handful of British singers whose version of American soul music had a gutsiness and flair far beyond what could be studied.

Following her death, many reports have come in of the last few days of her short life. Given Winehouse's battle with substance abuse, many believe, and it was initially suggested, that an overdose caused the death of the 27-year-old musician. Winehouse had canceled a European tour following a troubled stage performance last month, where she "stumbled across the stage, slurred through her songs, and threw a shoe into the crowd." But just a few days before her death, on July 20, she gave her last public appearance at the iTunes Festival, where she appeared on stage to help promote her protégé and goddaughter Dionne Bromfield’s new album. Video of her final performance is below.

GettyThe Last Days of Amy WinehouseUjala Sehgal 3:56 PM ET 1,087 Views Comment That Amy Winehouse was a beloved musician was beyond doubt after her death was announced yesterday, despite her troubled personal life and addictions. Fans flocked to her house in London after the announcement, laying flowers, and paid tribute at one of past favorite pubs, the Telegraph reports. The New York Times echoed the sentiment of many in their obituary, writing that:

Ms. Winehouse was no manufactured pop commodity. She was a genuine musician, among the very small handful of British singers whose version of American soul music had a gutsiness and flair far beyond what could be studied.

Following her death, many reports have come in of the last few days of her short life. Given Winehouse's battle with substance abuse, many believe, and it was initially suggested, that an overdose caused the death of the 27-year-old musician. Winehouse had canceled a European tour following a troubled stage performance last month, where she "stumbled across the stage, slurred through her songs, and threw a shoe into the crowd." But just a few days before her death, on July 20, she gave her last public appearance at the iTunes Festival, where she appeared on stage to help promote her protégé and goddaughter Dionne Bromfield’s new album. Video of her final performance is below.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Winehouse made a surprise appearance, hugging Bromfield and then dancing along as Bromfield sang 'Mama Said.' While Winehouse did not sing, she clapped with the song and encouraged the crowd to sing along."

Details after that performance have been constructed here largely through tabloid accounts, so are by no means reliable. What has come out is that anonymous friends of Winehouse told the British tabloid The Mirror that "she had hit the self-destruct button over the last two days in wild drinking ­sessions around Camden, North London." Neighbors also told The Mirror that two days before her death, "they saw her arrive in a cab with Big Brother star Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace. She collapsed when she got out of the taxi and had to be carried inside."

According to The Sunday Mirror, Winehouse's mom, Janis, saw her daughter just a day before her death, and said that her dying "seemed only a matter of time." She added: “She seemed out of it. But her passing so suddenly still hasn’t hit me.” Later that night, according to the Daily Mail, another British tabloid The People writes that Amy was out: "a source told the newspaper: 'Amy seemed determined to have a big one on Friday night. She was out in Camden on Friday evening, but seemed determined to carry on the party back at her flat." To that The Mirror adds that Amy spent an hour talking on the phone to "best friend" Kelly Osbourne, who said: “I was speaking to her last night, she seemed ­absolutely fine, I don’t understand how this could have ­happened.”

The Mirror writes that some sources have speculated that Winehouse died of a bad ecstasy pill and alcohol. However, Superintendent Raj Kohli has maintained that the death remains unexplained: ''I am aware of reports suggesting that the death was a result of a suspected drugs overdose," he said to the Telegraph, "but I would like to re-emphasize that no post-mortem examination has yet taken place and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of death.''Until then, the music industry and her friends continue to pay their tribute.

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Amy Winehouse, British Soul Singer With a Troubled Life, Dies at 27

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/arts/music/amy-winehouse-british-soul-singer-d...

Amy Winehouse, 1983 - 2011
Luke Macgregor / Reuters-Corbis
Amy Winehouse released two albums and won five Grammys, but she became almost as famous for her drug binges, hospitalizations and rough performances. Just weeks before her death, she canceled her comeback tour after struggling to get through a performance in Belgrade, during which she may have been intoxicated. She was found dead on July 23, 2011 in her London apartment. Her cause of death was not announced, but police said “at this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.”

Richey James Edwards, 1967 - 1995
Rune Hellestad / Corbis
Richey James Edwards was a guitarist and lyricist for the Manic Street Preachers. He disappeared on February 1, 1995, and it’s widely believed that he committed suicide by jumping off of a bridge. He was declared dead in 2008.

Robert Johnson, 1911 - 1937

Robert Johnson, a blues singer, was born in 1911 in Mississippi. Over time, he learned how to sing and play the guitar. He spent much of his career performing on street corners and traveling from town to town. In 1936, he began recording his music for the American Record Corporation, laying down 29 songs by 1937. That same year he died after being poisoned.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1960 - 1988
Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris via Landov
Jean-Michel Basquiat was originally a graffiti artist, who became an art star at the age of 21. He dated Madonna, and collaborated with Andy Warhol. Basquiat also started a little-known art band called Gray. The band was highly experimental; some members didn’t even have musical training. Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988.

Dave Alexander, 1947 - 1975
Michael Ochs Archives-Getty Images
Dave Alexander was one of the founders of the Stooges. He was also the original bassist for the group. Alexander left the band in 1970, and in 1975, he died of pneumonia, which was worsened by an inflamed pancreas.

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, 1945 - 1973
Jan Persson / Redferns-Getty Images
Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was one of the founding members of The Grateful Dead, mainly playing the keyboard. In 1971, while being treated for alcoholism, McKernan discovered he had cirrhosis of the liver. He left the band in 1972. Months later, on March 8, 1973, McKernan died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Janis Joplin, 1943 - 1970
ZUMA
Janis Joplin rose to fame as a member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and secured her icon status during her brief solo career. She was known as The Queen of Rock and Roll and The Queen of Psychedelic Soul during her career. Joplin was found dead from a heroin overdose on October 4, 1970, in a Los Angeles motel room.

Brian Jones, 1942 - 1969
Globe Photos-ZUMA
Brian Jones, a founding member of the Rolling Stones, was kicked out of the band in June 1969. Less than a month later, Jones was found dead in his swimming pool on July 2, 1969. His death was initially reported to be caused by ”misadventure”, though an examination revealed there were no illegal drugs in his body at the time of his death. However, the case was reopened in 2009, after new evidence suggested that he might have been murdered by one of his handlers.

Jim Morrison, 1943 - 1971
Michael Ochs Archives-Corbis
The lead singer and songwriter of The Doors was found dead in the bathtub of his Paris apartment of natural causes—at least according to his death certificate. While no official autopsy was ever conducted, controversy abounds over the cause of his death. In 2007, former Parisian nightclub manager Sam Bernett alleged that the singer famous for hits "Light My Fire" and "Break On Through (To the Other Side) died of a heroin overdose in his club and was later moved to the apartment.

Jimi Hendrix, 1942 - 1970
DPA-Landov
The Rolling Stone-dubbed greatest guitarist of all time was found dead in London after choking on his own vomit due to a mix of sleeping pills and wine. Hendrix, a Seattle native, rose to fame as the front man for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and he headlined Woodstock. Winehouse takes a page out of his book: The psychedelic rocker's drug habit made its way into his music, notably in his hit "Purple Haze."

Kurt Cobain, 1967 - 1994
Frank Micelotta / Getty Images
The Nirvana front man was found dead in his Seattle home by wife Courtney Love after locking himself in a closet with a gun, according to reports. Famous for leading the grunge rock movement with songs like "Smells like Teen Spirit" and "Lithium, Cobain was also known for his drug use and addiction to heroin.